The Showbox app (http://ift.tt/1PpeKjC) purports to give you free movies and TV on your computer, phone or tablet simply by downloading the app.

The report seems to be true. As I looked around the menu, I find movies that have recently left theaters (Terminator: Genisys), movies that are still in theaters (Inside Out) and movies that have just begun release for the home video market (Mad Max: Fury Road), as well as older films. Among the television offerings are classics such as the original Star Trek and The X-Files, as well as perennial favorites like The Big Bang Theory, and current hits like The Flash and Marvel’s Agent Carter. Included here also, though, are pay television series like Masters of Sex and Penny Dreadful (Showtime) and The Brink (HBO), as well as Netflix original series’ such as Orange is the New Black.

One thing to bear in mind as you browse through these, though… this is not a site that allows you to view these things legally, meaning “with the copyright holder’s permission”. In other words, Netflix wants you to pay them every month in order to watch OITNB, they don’t want you to stream it for free. I’m not passing judgement, here. The question of how movies and TV shows should be distributed in the internet age isn’t for me to answer. But the fact remains that it costs money to make these movies and shows, and when people download or stream them without paying, that has an impact. As an example, Kick Ass 2 was, according to many, the most illegally downloaded movie in internet history. In the meantime, it flopped at the theater. According to Chloe Grace Moretz, who played Hit Girl in the film, that’s the biggest reason why there are no plans for a Kick Ass 3… the movie simply made no money.

One thing that I would recommend, if you plan on using ShowBox. Make sure that you are protected with a VPN service that will allow you to stream anonymously. Although it is true that law enforcement tends to go more after the illegal distributors than the illegal downloaders, the latter is not out of the question. So I give you the same advice that I gave to my kids when they started dating… do what you want, but be sure that you’re safe when you do it!